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Growing up in Mainland China during the Second World War meant Illeana Oostergo wouldn’t see the inside of a classroom for most of her education.

Taught through her primary years by the Canadian Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, she was tutored by her parents when war broke out and afterwards taught by a private tutor. Her dream was to be a journalist, but instead she followed school with training in fine arts and stenography.

It wasn’t until she was widowed in her 40s, living in Canada and raising three children, that she ventured back into a classroom as a part time student in Douglas College’s communication program.

She completed diplomas at the college and hoped to transfer to UBC’s art history program. But with aging parents and the needs of growing children, she waited until 1995 to enroll at SFU, working part-time as a sales clerk and still finding time to earn certificates in medical office assistance, floristry and interior design.

Now 70, she graduates from SFU with a pair of bachelor of arts degrees in humanities and English, and a bachelor of general studies.

The Richmond grandmother thrives in the classroom. "At first my grandchildren would ask me, grandma, why do you want to go to school? They couldn’t see why I would choose to go," says Oostergo, a self-proclaimed computer dummy who relies on a typewriter.

"I find it amazing to be among the younger generation and see what they are about. Things are not so clear cut for them. I think there is a multitude of choices in front of them. That doesn’t necessarily mean things are easier."

Oostergo may continue to take courses of interest and is now exploring her options. She is not yet ruling out a career in journalism.

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Oostergo is one of a trio of graduates who will celebrate, at spring convocation, the achievement of completing not one degree, but three. The milestone means that Oostergo, Mabel Dumbrell, 88 (Vancouver) and George Kaufmann, 54, (Burnaby) will be recognized for earning three concurrent degrees in the faculty of arts. Each of the veteran life-long learners accumulated the required credits necessary to complete three academic programs as the result of studies spanning one or even two decades.

A typical bachelor’s degree is earned upon completion of 120 credit hours, 45 of which are upper division credit hours. To earn a second degree, a student would have to complete another 45 upper division credit hours, plus any required lower division courses. The same would apply to a third degree. However if students keep going instead of graduating after the 120 credits, they could conceivably do two and even three degrees concurrently. All three had a minimum of 210 credit hours